#idk where this came from. hh.

[catbuspass]

Were u dropped on ur head I don't even have a DNI where did u grab this from IDC Abt media ppl consume at this point r u dumb IDC Abt media criticism lol criticize what u want watch what u want idk what u mean by this. I'm as grown as it gets man. I hope u die fr.

[glitterrosesnzz]

I saw you might accept tiny drabble reqs for Wanderer?

What about Sethos, Traveler, or even Childe (if you wanna go Scaramouche) finding a "malfunction" in his body that when triggered immediately causes a sneeze/sneeze fit, no matter what. Could be tweaking a certain mechanism, could be a surge of elemental energy (specific element or not), could be dragging a touch in a specific line or rythym along his face/nose?

Might suck idk

this went through so many rewrites that i felt like i was bordering on losing it entirely. i cut off a huge chunk of words cause i just couldn't figure out how to conclude it through that route. maybe i'll reuse it for a different fic later....

anyways. i took creative liberties when it came to what the "malfunction" was hope u don't mind-

"Hh'InKkyYSHhii!"

A particularly strong breeze ruffled Sethos' hair as he startled, almost dropping the cat in his arms as he spun around to stare at the Wanderer, who had been standing behind him. Of all the responses Sethos' could've gotten to off-handedly comparing the other to the cute little kitten in his arms, he hadn't been expecting that.

It was obvious the Wanderer hadn't been expecting it either, if the startled and slightly hazy look on his face was any indication. Sethos opened his mouth to ask- and was interrupted before he could even begin as the Wanderer snapped forwards with two more drawn out sneezes, the resulting pulses of anemo making the loose edges of his clothes flutter.

"HihH'KksShHnii! Hh-heEH-hH'iikKSHyhn-tii!" The Wanderer pressed the back of his hand against his nose, rubbing it for a moment before stopping and just letting his hand rest there, pressed against his nose.

"Woah, are you okay? Those sound way worse than normal." Sethos finally managed to ask- and, as he sort of predicted, the Wanderer responded to that by glaring at him.

"Tch, I'm fine." The Wanderer's voice also sounded different than usual, though Sethos couldn't really place his finger on what, exactly, was different. "Just ihH- ...ignore it-hH'IinNkSHhiiu!!"

"Kinda hard to ignore it when you keep doing it." Sethos said, trying to fix the strands of his hair that'd been blown out of place- and oh, now he knows why the Wanderer's voice sounded off- "You sound a bit congested- are you sick?"

"Wh- no. I-I'm not."

"Then what's up with you?"

"It's just- hH-hiH-.... a-a cat allergy."

"...A cat allergy." Sethos deadpanned, glancing down at the cat in his arms to see if it was believing this complete bullshit before looking back up at the Wanderer, who avoided his eyes.

"What, do you need me to... to repeat it?" The Wanderer rubbed slightly more intensely at his nose, clearly trying to hold back another sneeze.

"No no no, it's just- well, I've seen you hanging out with cats before, and there's never been any-"

"HhiH'KkyYSHhii! Fuck!" The Wanderer swore, before rapidly turning and starting to hurriedly walk away from Sethos.

"Wait, hey! Where are you going?!"

"None of your business!"

~

Over the past three days, Sethos had come to collect a mental list of the Wanderer's supposed 'allergies'. Cats, dust, Sumeru roses, a passerby's perfume, and... sand.

Sethos took issue with that last one specifically, he was absolutely certain that one was not possible, and besides, they're in the city. Sethos has been staying in a rented room and hasn't been back to the desert in over a week- there's not even any sand here to be allergic to!

So, overall, Sethos is 99.8% sure the Wanderer is just outright lying, and should really really be resting in a bed, because he did not seem to be getting better- and the redness of his face, whenever Sethos managed to catch a good glimpse of it from under the Wanderer's hat, was just red enough to indicate a fever.

And, of course, this conclusion is what led Sethos to, at the first opportunity, grab hold of the Wanderer's arm and start practically dragging him back to the Sanctuary of Surasthana.

From the moment he grabbed hold of him, Sethos couldn't help but note that it felt like the Wanderer was shaking.

Shockingly enough, the Wanderer had stopped protesting after the first few minutes, obediently letting himself be pulled along in silence. Or, well, near silence- the Wanderer sneezing intermittently as they walked upward.

(There was also a faint sort of... whirring noise that Sethos couldn't place. He chose to ignore it for now, focusing on the Wanderer's obvious illness first).

Nahida standing at the entryway to the Sanctuary with her arms crossed wasn't much of a surprise.

Aether standing next to her in the exact same pose kinda-sorta was though.

"Hey," Aether said, sliding up between Sethos and the Wanderer, "Hand Mr. Hat Guy over to me while you explain... whatever is going on to Nahida."

After a moment, Sethos obediently handed the Wanderer over (the Wanderer himself too busy focusing on holding his breath in an attempt to keep himself from sneezing to protest), and then turned to begin to explain the situation to Nahida, not even noticing Aether leading the Wanderer off to the side.

"You have to tell him." Aether whispered, "You can't keep this up forever."

The Wanderer, still holding his breath, shook his head no.

"No as in you don't wanna tell him, or no as in you agree that you can't keep this up?"

Aether smirked as the Wanderer glared at him, before turning to pay more attention to Sethos' explanation.

"-and he keeps insisting that he's just allergic-"

"Ha, allergic to blushing maybe." Aether mumbled. The Wanderer harshly elbowed him in the chest, before snapping to the side with a sneeze.

"Hh-hIH'KksSHhyii!! HehH-" The Wanderer's wavering breath was quick to hitch again, and he hurriedly pinched his nose shut, attempting to hold his breath again. Aether noticed with some amusement that the whirring noise that had arrived with the Wanderer had just gotten considerably louder.

"Y'see!" Sethos said loudly, snapping both Aether and the Wanderer's attention back to him. "He clearly needs to be in bed!"

"I-I'm finehH-hH'iikKSHyhn-tii!! Hh'InKkyYSHhii!!"

"His room is on the right, five doors down the left hallway." Nahida said, ignoring the Wanderer's sputtered attempts at protest through hitching breaths. Sethos promptly thanked her, and wasted no time in snatching the Wanderer's wrist and dragging him into the Sanctuary. Aether walked back up to stand beside Nahida as they both watched the Wanderer willingly get led to the left and then vanish down the hallway.

"Y'know." Aether started, "I don't think he hates this treatment, as much as he's trying to make it seem otherwise. ...How long do you think until he tells him-"

"-that his systems are overreacting to being flustered, and the whirring vibration is affecting him in very unsubtle ways?" Nahida finished for him, "Hm... I'd say about a week."

"You wanna bet on it?"

"Sure!"

[starlightwoofwoof]

OH OH OH I have have an idea for how Streber gets akumatized!!

Maybe it could involve an argument with his friends? Like they're trying to help him, but Streber's usual stubbornness mixed with the Lingering Trauma causes him to lash out instead and storm off

Tbh when I saw that art of Count Bloodsucker attacking Ethan I had the idea of him attacking all his friends and turning them into his servants, y'know, just like a real vampire! (ba-dum tiss)

So then it's like a horror movie where the HH gang is getting hunted down one by one, and they're trying not to die as Gregor's trying to find and stop Count Bloodsucker before he hurts anyone else

OOOOOOOOO

okay this sounds interesting I honestly really like this idea, I know I already have some ‘argument’ backstories but hey, another one wouldn’t hurt lol

let’snottalkabouthowgoofythatsecondoneisum- but ye (the akuma is going towards his cape from across the room lol)

I also haven’t thought about Count turning his victims his own servants- I was originally just gonna have them, like, bleeding out to die there, but this is cooler :D

here’s a little demonstration I thought of for that, featuring this kind gentleman ✨ (idk where the rips came from lol)

gosh the whole ‘horror movie’ thing is so cool too- THIS IS MAKING ME EVEN MORE EXCITED TO WRITE HIS CHAPTER JEKNWJEHEENNEUEKWMWWNWHKWKWMMW

[felassan]

Do you think were going to see a Dreadwolf reveal trailer at Dragon Age Day or at the Game Awards?

hello!

I'm not sure, and I'm also hopeful/excited (so.. a regular felassan state of affairs hh..). if it's in a place where they feel ready to show it to the world more then that'd be neat, it'd be cool to see what's being worked on. and ofc anything said here is only speculation.

it's been at TGA before (2018 trailer, 2020 trailer), the last time being 3 years ago in 2020. if the 2024 internal currently-aimed release window mentioned in error on a dev profile recently is indeed still current (I'd guess that the change to "TBD" won't have been because the aim changed since the dev put that there btw, it'll have been because there isn't supposed to be any public info about the currently aimed release window yet but the games press noticed it on the profile, prompting BW/EA to ask the dev to change it. separate note: this being the case doesn't mean that there's no possibility that the window will slip more though), appearing at TGA 2023 wouldn't be a shock. maybe it depends on whether the possible 2024 release window is in early (but still after April 1st 2024 because of the fiscal quarter & FY24 slate stuff) 2024 or late 2024? as if it's later in 2024 (like say November) I could see a world where it isn't at TGA23 but is somewhere in the summer video game event/news expo period instead, because of the recent trend that's been observable in the industry generally and commented on by a former bioware dev re: an industry move towards shorter marketing periods (like more in the realm of a few months-6 months than a year). it's been said that the policy for this for a lot of AAA games has become a lot shorter, tending towards a lot shorter and louder marketing campaigns.

jeff grubb recently said on DA:D, "The Game Awards 2023 sounds right to me, they’ve done stuff at The Game Awards before. I’m expecting them to be there. If they’re not, it better be soon after, because Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, was, you know, there was a chance Dragon Age: Dreadwolf could’ve came out this year. Obviously it did keep moving internally, as I’ve reported before. It’s now, they’re looking at, you know, by the mid of next year, something like that.” and "The reality is, we very well could get Dragon Age: Dreadwolf content at The Game Awards. They’ve had teasers there before, it would make all the sense in the world for something to show up there." [link] this is interesting bc i'm pretty sure I remember a tweet from him last year about TGA22 where he straight up said "no it won't be there" or something basically when he was asked about it.

what I would say is that if it's gonna happen in a substantial way (as in not a codex entry and a blog post) in early December 2023, it'd likely be at TGA, not on DADay. this is based on how it was done previously and also on what's been said about DADay (an unofficial fan holiday event that just happens to occur very close to when TGA is held, thereby being overshadowed by it in terms of scale) vs TGA (a massive industry-wide high publicity event). DADay has seemed to have been more of a community-focused thing, a place to announce something smaller in scale like a tv show or a new book or to have something smaller highlighted like short stories or a codex. it's more of a 'today we are announcing we will be at TGA' with a new trailer-type [hypothetically] context rather than a 'here is a new trailer that isnt an ingame cinematic' type context, if that makes sense. saying that if it isnt going to be a 'big' trailer at TGA23, maybe there's something at DAday like last year where they showed an ingame sequence, which is smaller than a 'big substantial trailer' but still a video.

(idk if this post/ramble made sense but there you go). guess we'll find out in < 3 weeks. (❁´◡`❁)

[cyberspookviv]

my experience with the hazbin/helluva hatedom and how I continued to hate myself from there on TW: vent/s*icide/problematic stuff

I guess I was lowkey kinda young when I found out about Hazbin/helluva (around 2023 and I am a minor around 12-18) I know i shouldn’t be watching that shit and considering how bad the fandom is now with kids I feel guilty but it wasn’t that “big” back then I didn’t like it at first but then I tried it some more there was too many cursing it kinda made me scared for once and a while but I sorta liked it? Maybe because it was my first experience with violent content? Idk ajsjdj

yet little did I know that it would be considered one of the most hated fanabases I seen in my entire life

I guess it was a primary fandom I was really into as embarrassing as it I just fell in love with the characters and lore a little “too fast” this was such a fun fandom to make aus and theories because of how fun the lore was it wasn’t good at all but atleast I had “fun” right? Sometimes now I thinking about it I was too obsessed with it and hell I was so distracted by all the fun stuff about it that I forgot about the criticism in the first place i wasn’t immune I tried to take it by watching videos online but it was….. harsh…. And shit hell sometimes I was kinda immune bc I still needed to continue most of hb lol but…I guess it got to a point where it felt…kinda bad maybe “too” flawed so I got scared I had experience with my interests being despised before and I didn’t want the same to happen again so I tried to defend it and that’s where the creator….comes in…..

.

I thought her imagination was…fascinating she had such passion and thought behind her shows…that she became… my role model…. So I tried to defend her…but tbh nobody really seemed to like her I tried sticking to people who defended her like ayy lmao

but then I realized about the stuff she did…

It make me look like a damn fool…

and what’s even worse people who defended her were called “dick riders” I then started seeing hate around her “with the written by vivziepop jokes” and the controversies on Twitter

I got anxious…. But at the end she was a bad person right…just separate art from the artist

but nobody liked the art either

Hazbin finally came out and there’s was either love or hate and tbh I got really back into Hazbin bc of the release of it being on “prime” but I knew something didn’t feel right I went on Twitter a lot “too much” actually and i discovered these rumors about her and if I defended these rumors about such terrible things I would just look like such a stupid pathetic dick sucking retard so I forced myself to hate her either way so I forced myself to go online and read “hh/hb critical” content but then I began to hate myself even more they painted her as such a terrible person but i agreed anyway because it was the “truth” but then again she was my idol…my role model….i got so anxious and I never even gave a damn about the shows writing making it even worse when it came to criticism it was noticeable in the show but I choosed the ignore it and when I saw ppl complaining online I felt like a complete pathetic asshole for liking it and what’s worse they would say shit like “she’s manipulative and narcissistic and her fans are nothing but dick riders that are thoughtless and can’t take criticism and deserve to die in a fucking fire” it made me want to absolutely k*ll myself and made me feel like i wasn’t worth living

THIS SHIT FUCKING EXPLAINS IT ALL

I wanted to talk to somebody or a therapist desperately about this but I loved her and her shows so either way my behavior was fucking creepy making me hate myself even more because my story was never “valid”

so I just ran away

I’m doing better now….i still miss the shows tho even though most people call it “toxic” for supporting a “horrible” person but still have that charm when i see it or see posts about it it makes me remember how “happy” i use to watch it and the fact that i had to ran away a join better fandoms that were accepted by people and wouldn’t make me feel ashamed and wanting to end my life i just finally…finally decided to share this post now despite how controversial it may get i might honestly get death threats or hate comments tbh lol

but I just want some people to know out there about my experience because I just desperately need a heartwarming comment right now to make sure that I’m not alone please…I just wanted to have fun I’m doing better now…. I just want everything and I mean EVERYTHING to be ok…

I just want to be accepted…..

.

[rockanroller]

What is Hazbin Hotel rated?

ok so one thing that's come up about Poison / episode 4 is adults in the hh fandom yelling that minors need to stay away from the show which we all know as an "adult show" of course--but the first episode has a rating of... not 18+, not MA, but 16+

now, someone pointed out that episode 4 itself actually *does* have an 18+ rating, which they claimed was the following:

this is not uncommon, often times shows have a *general* rating, and then if one episode is heavier than the others it gets a higher rating. (plus that above rating shows up very briefly in the upper left portion of the screen in text that's kinda small, it's easy to miss.)

then, the original poster of the 16+ screenshot said that the rating changed to 18+ once episode 4 was included in the batch:

personally i think what happened there is (i'm making a guess here idk this for sure) maybe the UI is set up to display the rating of the highest rated episode on a series' page, so before episode 4 came out the episodes were rated 16+ which was the highest, so the page displayed that, but once episode 4 released, 18+ became the highest rating, causing the rating on the series' page to change to 18+ (however all 4 episodes seem to have aired at once, so i'm not sure where the system was getting 16+ from.)

either way, the whole system seems fundamentally broken to me. i see the "logic" perhaps--that you're trying to let an audience know how intense an episode is going to be--but if it's a show for adults and you start off labeling it 16+ or even TV14 in some cases, you can get folks under 18 watching it thinking it's for their age range only to get whiplash from an episode that's suddenly rated 18+ or MA.

i'm not saying that's viv's fault, it's a failure of the rating system, but i think some adults need to keep this faulty rating system in mind instead of barking at minors to stay away from their show that at least the 16-to-17-year-olds could've mistaken as something they can watch due to the initial rating.

and for everyone's reference, adults & minors alike, here are the official certified TV ratings for Hazbin Hotel according to IMDb:

[fluffyzoey]

Had a dream that they made another Hazbin/Helluva like show (I don’t even watch either of those so idk where that came from) but it was called Hell Penis and it may have been a hh style ripoff of Hell’s Kitchen? I don’t fully know but Hell Penis was trending on Tumblr

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Grief in all its Strangeness

Heyyyy so today has not been a great day. I was wondering if you could write something for Merlin or maybe the Avengers about that feeling when someone has died (by suicide, but you can ignore that if you'd like (you can ignore this whole ask if you'd like)) and you didn't actually know them, or even interact with them ever but you crossed paths occasionally and now they're gone and it just feels wrong. And somehow you also feel guilty? Idk. Your stories are always a comfort for me :) – anon

Read on Ao3

Warnings: suicide, one of the knights (not a main character) commits suicide offscreen, it is not shown/recounted but the fic revolves around the grief after the incident

Pairings: gen

Word Count: 2146

One of the knights is dead.

Merlin didn't know it at first; that would explain why he'd barged into Arthur's chambers and been surprised that the Prince was already out of bed—granted, not dressed and out of bed, but out of bed nonetheless—and why Arthur had been even snappier with him than normal. And it wasn't one of those 'fun' snappy moods either, the ones where Arthur's getting a bit overwhelmed with the pressures of being a prince and all that came with it, and he needed to mess around or he'd go insane—Morgana's words, not Merlin's. No, this was one of the moods where Merlin figured out he needed to put his head down and get out before it escalated to one of them saying something they really didn't mean.

He finds out from Lancelot what's happened.

"One of the newest knights was found yesterday," Lancelot says, taking Merlin off to a side corridor where no one ventures often, his hands hidden beneath the swaths of red fabric and his voice too low to tremble, "I imagine the Prince is taking it harder than most."

"Why would Arthur be taking it harder?"

"This knight was one of the youngest Camelot ever trained. And he was found with…" Lancelot's breath stutters and he quickly coughs. "It's quite obvious what he died from. Why he died."

Oh.

Oh.

"Oh, no," Merlin mumbles as Lancelot nods solemnly, "I'm—I'm so sorry."

"Thank you," for how could Lancelot not be grieving too? "I—hh. It was a surprise, to be sure. It seemed like he was…well, like he was fine. I suppose we never really know for sure, do we?"

Merlin nods. His head spins with the idea of one of Camelot's knights, his body found by his brothers-in-arms, and then not even able to find the thing that killed him because, well…

"I don't mean to muddy your day with—"

"You're not muddying anything," Merlin interrupts quickly, "I asked, you told me. Thank you. And, um, I'm sorry for your loss too."

Lancelot smiles ruefully, nodding once more and clapping his hand against Merlin's shoulder. As he turns to walk away, Merlin's hand shoots out and grabs his wrist. He stops, turning back, and Merlin swallows.

"You've got me," he says in a rush, "you—you know you've always got me, right?"

Lancelot's brow furrows for a moment, before realization dawns and his mouth opens a few times, trying to form words. Merlin just stares at him, waiting, until another smile forms on his face, sweeter than the last.

"I do," he says, stepping back into Merlin's space and taking Merlin's arm too, "of course, I do."

"Right."

"Right."

"Is this—do knights hug, or—?"

And he actually gets Lancelot to chuckle as he opens his arms, letting Merlin give him a hug and whispering another thank you into the space between them before he pulls away. He watches Lancelot walk away, red cloak billowing out behind him, and looks down at his own ruddy hands to see the calluses and blisters that have started to show a similar color.

That does explain why Arthur was in a mood, and despite himself, Merlin feels a pang of sympathy for him. It was one thing to be a knight right now, he supposes, to have lost one of your brothers, but quite another to be the Prince: responsible for his training, for him, and still for the rest, and not able to talk to anyone. For who could Arthur talk to who would listen? The other knights—well, if they could get over the power imbalance between knight and prince, that would be miracle enough. Then there might be those who blame Arthur for the knight's death, or who could be placed in an equally volatile situation. And none of the other nobles would have the same emotional weight that Arthur would, he was the only one who was a knight, who trained and lived and breathed with them.

And the King…

The day Uther Pendragon cares about something, not as an extension of himself, but for it and it alone, Merlin will walk into the lake and never emerge again.

So: who does Arthur have? Well, he has Merlin.

Not that Arthur would ever really admit it, not in front of anyone in any way that matters, but he does have Merlin. And so, Merlin will be there for him, in any way he can.

He orders Arthur's favorite foods from the kitchens for dinner. It's a massive platter—but then again all of Arthur's meals tend to be—and he staggers into the wall a fair few times going up the stairs, but he gets it on the table before Arthur can look up from his desk. He turns his back and picks up another chore before Arthur can see what he's done, scrubbing at a determined spot on Arthur's gauntlet.

He keeps his ears pricked for the pause in the scritch-scratch of Arthur's quill, waiting until he can peek over his shoulder at the scrape of Arthur's chair.

"Merlin."

"Mm?"

"These are…" Arthur clears his throat. "Thank you."

Merlin hides a smile. "You're welcome. Figured you'd be hungry."

"You saying I'm fat?"

"I'm saying that it must take a lot of energy to do all that work without taking a break."

A soft huff but it's a laugh—he made Arthur laugh, just a little. He looks over his shoulder again and sees the remnants of a smile on Arthur's face as he tucks into his dinner, and he allows his own to bloom again as he goes back to scrubbing at the metal. Arthur's chambers fade back into the quiet sounds of their coexisting as Merlin's hands go bright with exertion, until everything gets suspiciously quiet and he turns just in time to catch a roll of bread flying at his face.

"Oi!"

"Thought you looked a bit peckish," Arthur grins, getting up and going back to his desk, and Merlin gnaws off a bite and sweeps the crumbs onto an empty plate.

This…this he can do.

He doesn't order Arthur's favorite every time, but he makes sure he orders the things that he likes. He does his worst chores when Arthur isn't in the room, or at least keeps the obnoxious ones to a minimum and makes deals with the other servants to have them taken care of while they're out during the day. He plays the fool, the jester, the easy target when he needs to, and if he can send Arthur off to bed with a smile more nights than not, he counts that as a win.

It's not…easy to check in on the knights as well, but it's easier than it should be. Arthur trains the knights, after all, and Merlin would be lying if he said he hadn't noticed the way he's being a little softer, a little kinder with them in the wake of the death that's occurred. A few of the senior knights lend themselves to their brothers as well—he sees Lancelot comforting two squires who have tears in their eyes, he sees one of the sword-master's regular demonstration partners speaking softly to a young knight whose hands won't stop trembling, he sees Leon holding who he later learns was the knight's beloved, letting him cry into his shoulder without saying a word.

He happens upon the three of them in the armory later that evening and wordlessly returns with a tankard of the finest wine he can lay his hands on, three goblets, and a small plate of pastries. He doesn't speak to the third knight, but both Leon and Lancelot find him the next day and pass on their thanks. After that, well, it becomes a habit to walk past the armory to see if there's anyone else waiting there.

He's thinking about how many plates of cinnamon pastries he'll have to ask the baker for when Gaius yells in shock and he looks down to see he's burned his hand.

Gaius frets and scolds him for not paying more attention as he carefully wraps up his hand, but Merlin can't stop looking at the red, red, red skin beneath the sickly pale bandages. He doesn't pick at it, but he tugs them down just enough so he can see the bright color again. Arthur gives him a curious look when he sees the wrappings and he mumbles some excuse about being clumsy that Arthur laughs at. He finds himself looking at it throughout the day, the bright red skin.

It is a strange thing to be surrounded by grief.

Merlin didn't know this knight. He didn't know their name—well, he knew their name now, his name was Larkin—he didn't know what he liked to do in his spare time, he didn't know his favorite food, he didn't know what Larkin wanted out of life. And yet as he watches the knights grieve, watches Arthur grieve, his chest fills with a selfish desire to know, so that he might grieve too.

The first time that thought crosses his mind, he balks at it. Who is he to wish for grief? Who is he to want to steal the pain of others and hoist it onto his own shoulders? Is it not enough that he is here for the ones he does know, the ones he does care about, while they grieve in their own ways?

The burn blisters.

He thinks of Larkin, cold in the middle of the night. He thinks of his body on a smoldering pyre. He thinks of the acrid smoke in his throat and eyes. He thinks of Freya at the bottom of an endless ocean.

He thinks of his own shaking hands, red and blistered, and spends a thoughtless night awake and alone in the dark, staring unseeing at his own grief.

Distantly, he realizes that this is selfish too, in its own way. If he should mourn, should he not mourn this loss? Why is he mourning a loss that could only be his own, when he could make his suffering communal? But he could no more wish his own grief away than he could unburn his hand, which aches and itches under the bandages as it glows red and warm. He thinks of the strange numbness in his gut when he sees the knights grieve, and of the burning guilt in his chest that no one else shares his.

He lets Gaius change his bandages and goes up to Arthur's chambers.

When he opens the door, Leon and Lancelot up from their seats at the table and he instantly turns, going to fetch the mead, the ale, the wine, but Arthur's voice stops him.

"Merlin, come sit."

Merlin sits. Leon looks at him for a moment, then down to his hand, and holds out his own. After a moment, Merlin lets him have it, the other clenching in his lap at the twinges as Leon examines the burn.

"Nasty thing," he says quietly, "how did it happen?"

"Wasn't paying attention. Got distracted."

Leon hums, looking back up, but he doesn't let go of his hand. Merlin's brow furrows, mouth opening to ask what's happening, when there comes a knock at the door. On instinct, he rises to answer, but Leon's hold keeps him seated as Lancelot goes instead. He returns with a platter of baked apples, still slightly bubbling, and Merlin's eyes widen. Over the last of the steam, he sees Arthur smile just a little, coming to sit across from him. He feels Lancelot's hand settle in the crook of his shoulder, still slightly warm from handling the platter.

"We're here for you too," he says softly, and Merlin's eyes fill with unshed tears.

Arthur's chair scrapes across the floor. His boots thud as he rounds the table and strong hands pull Merlin up from the chair and into a solid chest. The wind leaves him at the sudden rush of solidwarmArthur around him and the gasp jars the tears from his eyes. The last thing he smells before his nose closes is the slightly toasted spice of the apples and the faint trace of polish from Arthur's armor. Arthur's chin hooks over his shoulder.

"Go on," he murmurs, "it's okay."

Grief is still strange to Merlin. Comfort doesn't have to be.

[bloody-teared-angel]

Shipping and Fandom used to be fun

Buckle up, long post incoming - will be speaking from my own experience.

My first ever fandom was Transformers. I joined it on Tumblr, I believe in....2013? And on Instagram, 2016-2017. I eventually go back in due to nostalgia so Idk how that fandom is in 2024 but back then it was the most welcoming fandom I could ever been in.

OCs were on the rise, ppl were interested in them, asking for lore even commissioning them themselves, asking permission if they could write about them - OCxCanon was also very popular and overall well received. Whoever made a new OC, they would get adopted into the fandom.

Generally speaking, ppl didn't care what you were shipping, everyone was in their own little corner, doing their own thing, respecting one another.

What I'm trying to say, you could ship the most unconventional ships and the general reaction would be: "Why?" "Idk, I'm having fun." Or "I found it intriguing" or "Because I can."

And that was it. No one pried anymore, no one demanded you spill out your trauma and acted like a moral police of what is acceptable in their eyes and what was not.

Ppl could be shipping Megatron with Arcee or Ratchet and no one would bat an eye, people were having fun - the same went for not liking a character. No one would accuse one another of being 'media illiterate'

"Why don't you like this character?" "Idk, I don't vibe with him." "Ok, cool."

And that was it.

Where I noticed it first would be BNHA/MHA fandom - that fandom is rotten beyond belief the last time I tried to enjoy it but the author made me drop it too with his decisions.

(On Instagram OCs were largely ignored and there was 'No Fun Allowed' type of feel which made me last about....2 months, while trying and giving it a chance)

Probably the biggest one would be Naruto - yes, I dislike Hinata and Sakura, along with NaruHina and SasuSaku but that's due to poor development and their respective fandoms. You were not allowed to say that the ships were poorly developed nor that the female characters are flawed, you were labeled as misogynistic and sexist and I don't know what else. You were not allowed to ship noncanon ship, otherwise the shippers of the canon ones would throw a tantrum in your inbox or notes.

Now that I think about it, HH/HB - Naruto - BNHA/MHA fandoms are.....strikingly similar in that regard.

With this post, some might call me a hypocrite and I won't blame you, I also had some level of immaturity back in the day, which I'm cringing and laughing over now.

There's also a reason I stopped joining most fandoms at the height of their popularity, for the people in those fandoms - most of the time - are riding that high and are almost impossible to talk to, any sort of criticism for said shows or characters are met with hostility, etc.

And listen I've been in the fandom during the woobification of MCU!Loki, I had my fair share of immaturity - i was a kid - now that I am older, I enjoy villains for the sake of being villains and fucked up stuff for the sake of fucked up stuff.

(I'm going to make a statement later down the line so be ready to unfollow, just a heads up - no, I'm not in any drama, just making something clear since I don't want to be perceived as a hypocrite)

Which brings me to HH/HB - why did I follow it at the height of it?

Because I was invested. I had hope.

I enjoyed the Pilot back in 2020, I sat trough entirety of S1 of HB until 'Mammon Special' which then caused me to drop it, due to becoming disinterest and fed up with the double standard and picky narrative.

I had hope, that HH would live up to its hype. It did not for me.

Then the allegations kept coming out and I had lost all hope, the fandom had a level of immaturity that made me turn away completely.

(And I've been there during the r*ylo hype, some of the stuff they came up with was abysmal)

What I'm trying to say that back then everyone was in their own little corner, doing their own thing and then I don't know what happened and it was just influx of 'Fun not allowed' type of things, that made fandoms less fun.

It might not make sense, so I'm open to civil discussions and questions.

(Oh, and, the HP fandom made me be prepared for anything, just saying)

[calypsoskaleidoscope]

(It's frick-it-sugar-spice this is my main. I kinda keep the loz and hh/hb seperate)

Idk if you wanted ppl to send prompts from the post you reblogged but I always assume folks do when they reblog those! Also just general tumblr etiquette

If you do it would be hilarious to see a HH one with "Am I still alive?"

Oh hi! Crap- it is? Lol, I have no clue what I'm doing here. I came for the Julius Caesar memes and am staying for the chaos /lh. You know what... I miiiight just have to add that to a chapter later. I think I know where I'm putting it in ;)

[crossover-enthusiast]

hey im awake!! i came up with a bunch of random shit for the bob and evermore swap. i was gonna draw them digital today but i have to go to work so hopefully i get that done idk

anyways heres my Random Ideas ™

Instead of saying random facts, maybe Evermore asks a weird question like "What's you blood type?" or... maybe he tells a fucked up fact but revolving around wealth.

The "Bob?" guy, the teen that dressed as Bob, its just some guy that happened to buy the same mask as Evermore

I have really been thinking about the interaction with Streber. It probably happens off-screen, but I still think about what happened, bc Evermore wouldn't just rip off the arm he has more CLASS. I have no idea what he would do tho. Instead of Bob's menacing and loud approach, Evermore just like appears. Maybe his hand just slides into frame and politely taps Streber's shoulder.

Instead of Bob's leather belt with weapons under his sweater, Evermore has a collection of weapons in his suit jacket. So like in that scene where we see Bob get the sharpener from the belt, we watch Evermore open his jacket and retrieve like a more elegant weapon idk

ok thats all i got maybe

Ooooo-

Okay so

Evermore infodumps about various wealthy figures that have done fucked up shit?

That's actually way funnier lmao. The kid finally sees Evermore at the end and is like "WE DON'T EVEN HAVE THE SAME HAIR HOW THE HELL-"

Hmmm... maybe Evermore kidnaps Streber to torture him instead? Oh, or maybe he sees the haunted house and simply spooks Streber with the plan to come back later and kill him and the rest of the HH gang

That's so fancy I love it -- there's probably a small hand mirror in there too because it's Evermore

[loserchildhotpants]

those are great photos! You look happy <3 question for journaling what is a favorite quote? (and why if you want). also unrelated question, for the journaling, you can write about anything, subject doesn't matter? (if you wanna share ofc)

; u ; thank you!

despite being Severely Mentally Ill i am generally a p happy person - that's why the Severe Mental Illness sucks so much. by my v nature im a p happy, giggly person, but then the Big Sad comes and puts my brain on a train straight to Dissociation Station where i become stranded. but Nathan's gotten good at capturing candid moments of me actively being happy and honestly that's helped a lot (not just w my self-esteem issues bc it IS helping that, but also in like... reminding me that i AM a happy person? hard to explain)

skldjhf i don't know if i can choose a favorite quote omg skdjhf uhhhhh HH HHHHHH there's way too many. i keep a Google Doc w my favorites, but they span so many centuries and topics i'd have no way of narrowing it down. i WILL say that a famous quote i use a lot, probably more than any other, is 'comparison is the thief of joy.'

That's not to say it's my 'favorite' per se, just that it's the one i use most frequently.

and idk! im supposed to be journaling how im feeling but tbh that's the issue w dissociation - im NOT feeling stuff. i sit and stare at pages and go 'idk what she wants me to put down here. numbness? a vague sense of dread? or does she want me to mention the gasping, crippling anxiety from last night that came on w no trigger and rolled from one attack into another? am i happy? im not actively miserable, so does that mean im fine? is anything even actually wrong w me?'

i don't think i know how to write like, for the sake of myself. idk how to choose a topic to journal abt. examining myself feels like peeling my flesh off and if i can overcome that, i wind up being like 'why am i journaling my feelings? what's so important abt me that it needs documentation? im literally Just Some Guy, my problems aren't that big, im not important enough to warrant documentation' and i can HEAR how that's self-esteem issues talking but i genuinely struggle w it.

but that's why it's nice to get asks like this bc i can actually talk it out and i can USE this. is it journaling in the most conventional sense? no, but it's working at getting me to write stuff down that has to do w me. something something im able to write abt myself and my experiences if it's at the request of someone else something something i cannot seem to accomplish these tasks if it's me doing it for my own sake bc i don't consider myself worth this effort something something

anyway ilu thank u for sending me this <3

[rantsandeepthoughts]

25 June 2024 Tuesday evening and the 00:00 and morning of 26 June 2024 Wednesday

Note to myself, for it is a significant day. Days. Well. It is. Idk. As I'm typing this, it's 1:12am and my heart is nervous.

It is the first night that I am sleeping over at my new place. My home. Self bought and everything done by me, a place where I'm going to begin with healthy boundaries.

Besides my friends, no one knows I'm spending the night here tonight.

Mother and father have gone to Malaysia for a night, to settle some court proceedings about my late uncle's property. I told the 3 younger siblings that I made plans with the married sister. And i told married sister I'm using her as alibi, she thinks I'm staying over at a friend's. Since. Well. I've not informed anyone of my family about the home I've purchased for myself.

Came here straight from work. When i was considering this earlier in the day, i was thinking I would chicken out and take the last bus back to my parents place. But then, with the more assured assurance that parents are spending the night away. I decided to yolo and just do it.

I had teh tarik ice for dinner and cheap bee hoon with long beans vege n sweetsour fish (sad 4 pieces). I hope the teh tarik don't keep me up.

Assembled a bunch of my IKEA stuff. The bamboo bench, the Nissafors trolley, another plastic shelf thing. Hung up the noren. And one ikea curtain for my room window. Opened the mattress packaging. Mopped a bit. Tidied a bit. Actually now that I'm counting. I assembled 3 things only ^__^"" took about 30mins each.

Anyway... staying here. First night. I'm feeling really nervous. Excited. But also that ever present paranoia. Like mother might suddenly video call me demanding where i am. Or someone gonna rob me or break in. Or something might happen and I die here and only 2 of my friends know I'm here and know the address. Hh who is in Japan now. And Nin who is a busy busy teacher who tbh barely replies msgs at times. And Yun who's in Melbourne so.... hah.

Well, hopefully if such a thing does happen. They'll start looking for me after 24hrs. But yeah. That's the paranoia speaking.

It's a much more quieter neighbourhood. So every sound feels. Like, what's that.

I wonder what time I'll fall asleep.... shall scroll scroll until i can sleep.

[fictionfixations]

star rogue

book 6 and wish upon a star event spoilers

so like you know the game idia is a HUGE fan of

and its like. i think i understand why some people dont view events as canon?

cause so in book 6 he mentions the game, and hoping for a sequel. and vil's just like 'dont just hope, actually do something, because zero is always zero, but even 0.001 can turn into 100' or something like that

which inspires ortho. to do. something im not sure i havent continued yet (but i have been spoiled bits and pieces of this book so i have a vague idea..)

but. in wish upon a star, THE DEVS CAME TOGETHER AND WERE GOING TO MAKE A SEQUEL CAUSE THEY SAW THE METEOR SHOWER (that ortho made) AND GOT INSPIRED

(i cant believe i remembered too..)

but the conversation never wouldve happened if the sequel was planned

and while it could be replaced, probably doesnt have as much meaning (or would have to be changed entirely)

but its also like. i mean, im not sure where wish upon a star takes place. from what i remember of it, id probably place it before winter break-ish.. but thats . so early.

maybe they cancelled the sequel again but thatd kind of be sad.. (although then maybe the conversation still happens?)

if its later tho.. i dont feel like it can..?

winter break lasts past new year could it be early january-ish? maybe. because while there were a bunch of timeskips like '3 days into the bet..' 'a few days after practicing' etc etc, theres still a lot of room for the training camp to be a part of that month (the lower half at least) and continue on to reach mid-february. and vdc/sdc itself is 2 days or something. i think. still though. hh. but that doesnt actually change the problem, unless there were to be some changing around to fit wish upon a star, like, after book 6? (although it might ruin the message of 'take things into your own hands')

but idk when book 7 takes place so. shrug.

\/ also quote from crewel, "I trust you're all aware that the National Arcane Academy Culture Fair is coming up in mid-February."

vdc training camp thingy was 4 weeks so like february. wait is it vdc or sdc? is this a translation thing where its different name, like magishift and spelldrive?? idk i think ive seen both..?

and then right AFTER is book 6

i know its probably like this so for people who havent gone too far in the main story can enjoy events, or people who havent played the events can still understand the story without references to things they dont know when the events are limited. but it makes it really hard to figure out where things are and what to do with them.

i feel like im losing track of what im trying to do... *blink blink*

[varietysky]

are you talking about ghosts ending on season 5...because i am trying to be polite as well but i could have sworn it was already announced/heavily implied that this would be the last season...im sad but like cmon now

I am 🫣

I mean I get it, this show has been a huge comfort for me since I first watched it in 2021. But I've been through comfort shows ending before. I was a mess when Adventure Time ended, for example, because I watched that show since the beginning! I was in middle school when that show first came out, which was a tough time for me, and AT was one of those shows I clung to.

I imagine a similar situation with this, except it's a group of ppl many have been following since HH when they were kids. This is their 3rd show ending now, so I assumed fans who've been with them since the beginning would be a bit used to it by now? Idk. It's a special show, and I don't want to control how people react to it ending but like... has it not been an open secret that s5 would be the last?

Also, a show ending doesn't mean the fandom ends with it. I'm not sure where ppl are getting his fear from. There are so many ongoing fandoms for shows that have LONG since ended.

But yeah, idk, I guess it all seemed a bit.... melodramatic for lack of a better word. Of course I'm sad that it's ending. Of course I'm sad that s5 will be the last new (canon) content. But it'll all be okay. The fandom and fan content won't disappear with the final episode. It's okay to be sad about an important show to you.

[specialshinytrinkets]

To be completely fair, MLP has existed for WAYYYYYYY longer than HH/HB. G1 came out in 1982, AND is a universe that not has just existed for decades, but was made by professionals, who had refined their craft. The reason why G4 is so well recognised and became a blast is because the writers figured out what to do with these ponies throughout the 30+ years of development. That applies to visual design, too. A singular art and animation student simply does not often match up with a multimillion dollar toy company.

Now, it does not mean that the professional companies can't have their mistakes. Look at prototype designs and ideas for EQG and what we got as the end product. The thing that separates MLP and HH/HB as well is that latters are more of a passion projects than anything. At the start, at least. They were not made with merchandise in mind, like MLP — it's the opposite. It creates a sort of interesting conundrum where, on one hand, you got a team of professionals who Know What They're Doing, and on the other hand, you have a team of people who are not necessarily creatively limited. Additionally, the students can still learn.

But it does not explain Beelzebub (who is a Sin of Gluttony, not Greed; that one is Mammon, and he has been hinted towards at the show, from what I've got) and how she looks the way she does. It was pointed out already that they should have probably leaned in more into the insect (bee) aspect of her on greater physical levels. Like. Bees are pretty good demon design fuel. They have eyes on the back of their heads, for example. And stings. You can make a really good Beelzebub equivalent out of that.

But nope. We got a fox girl who is... Painful to look at from too long when animated- Actually, something that has also been pointed out by this point, but her stomach is canonically a lava lamp. That's how she can eat endlessly — all the food just burns. But... how? The "lava" in a lava lamp is just wax that gets heated up and cooled down for pretty shapes. (Which could also be a reference to bees, who knows-)

(At 2:13 it starts discussing the components)

And if it's actual lava, because it's Hell, then... She's casually walking around with colorful lava spewing out of her backside? Hope no Hellhounds got burnt from it.

I can fully see the antennae, and the neck being separated, and the stripes, amd the colored limbs, but there is something... Wrong. I get the party girl vibe, and I get endless indulging by burning down the food, but there's something fundamentally whiplash-inducing when all of these aspects are combined together and put into a furry shell. That, or the amount of details is overwhelming to look at.

Something that I also wanna point out is that the runny makeup could probably be removed, for clearer face's sake. She's a party girl, yeah (Viv also said in one of her tweets that she wanted a, quote, "60s hippy free spirit kind of party vibe", which I find. Interesting. That makes your words that she looks like something out of a hallucination for a drug PSA all more funnier), but she looks like the type to look after herself?? Idk-

(Source of the screenshot)

As for Alastor, yea. He blends in a bit much with the crowd. Dude could literally just tunr his back, and he would not be found in plain sight on the streets of Hell lmfao-

To the people who watch Helluva Boss/Hazbin Hotel and think that their designs are the best of the best and that they shouldn't be given criticism because it's Hell and such. Y'all have clearly not watched MLP as a kid and thought that it was the revolution of culture. Sure, it had some flaws, and yes, there were recoloured background characters in said show. But at least they got more diversity and interesting features than what Helluva/Hazbin has to offer tbh-